Vogel Vins, what a story!

A solid reputation

After a short, winding drive through the vineyards, we arrived in front of a former nursery school housing the offices of the company Julien Vogel runs jointly with his sister, Anne-Christine. And it’s as soon as we step through the door that a family atmosphere quickly becomes apparent. With around ten employees, five of whom travel the roads of French-speaking Switzerland, Vogel Vins SA has built up a solid reputation in the world of winegrowing. “We’re very close to each other, and every member of staff is essential to the smooth running of the company,” says the boss. Not without its ups and downs, the small company has weathered the crisis with humility, and remains more than ever a key wine merchant in French-speaking Switzerland.

Streamlined and slender, Julien Vogel welcomes visitors to his relaxed offices, with Lake Geneva and the Alps in the background. With ease and conviction, he retraces the history of his company. A hydraulic engineer, his grandfather arrived in Grandvaux in 1929 with a dream of making wine. He bought a house on a plot of land full of brambles, but the vines came later. His sons remained in the business, wearing two different hats: one was a winemaker and the other, after studying at the HEC business school in Lausanne, travelled the world of the big wine companies. Passionate about Bordeaux wines and well introduced to the Bordeaux milieu, Charles Vogel set up his own company, eager to become his own boss. The Vogel adventure began in 1992.

Wine bar

At the end of the 90s, the trend was towards consolidation. Several major players (and Vogel Vins customers) merged, leaving a considerably smaller order book. “It was then that my father began to take a serious interest in private clientele and catering. It was imperative to diversify” recalls Julien Vogel. At the same time, his father decided to open a wine bar in Morges: Yatus opened its doors in 2003. After studying marketing and various entrepreneurial experiences, Julien  joined the company six years later and immediately launched a Yatus in Vevey. “While retaining the winegrowing DNA of the first establishment, I wanted to open a younger, more dynamic one. Success followed, and a third establishment opened in Lausanne, followed by a fourth in Fribourg.

Julien thus became indirectly involved in the family business through his wine bars. And it wasn’t until his father retired that he officially took over. “We both have strong characters. I preferred to wait my turn. At the same time, a major trading company bought 70% of Vogel Vins in 2013. This was a major upheaval for the previously family-run business, which lost its authenticity over time but gained in strategic vision. The icing on the cake was that the new shareholders wanted to sell the Yatus bars as quickly as possible. Julien bought them out personally before selling them on a few years later. “By this stage, we had become the ideal merger candidates. With the support of their staff, Julien and his sister bought back the company’s shares in 2020 and once again became the owners of their own winery.

Repositioning

“This situation has enabled us to rethink everything. We want to sell both the great vintages and nuggets we love to discover, and the must-have wines that still have their place. We want to get back to our core business. As soon as he took over, Julien Vogel reviewed the entire catalog and brought out his address book. After tasting 900 wines in just a few months, Vogel Vins is finally repositioning itself. On the agenda? Redesign of the website, reprogramming of the management tool, opening of an office in Geneva and, in the long term, a foray into German-speaking countries. Quite a program…